A large fraction of all illness is attributed to the organs in the thorax. Chest imaging is important for the detection of lung cancer, the largest cancer killer of both men and women. Until recently the only physical method for obtaining an image of the organs in the chest was the roentgenogram, often called a chest film or chest x-ray. This is still the primary modality for chest imaging. Chest films account for almost 50% of all medical x-ray images. Despite its common use, it is one of the most difficult radiographs to produce because of the large variation of the x-ray attenuation in the heart and mediastinum compared to the lung regions. In the last few years a number of new approaches for improving the information content of the chest image have been developed. These new techniques will be described and discussed at the Chest Imaging Conference. In addition to conventional screen-film techniques there have been developments of new imaging modalities such as large image intensifiers, digital radiography techniques, nonfilm receptors with a much larger dynamic range. The conventional film-screen approach has been improved in several respects by using long latitude film which can be recopied by the LogE tronics method, scanning slit source detector methods and also by means of adigital beam attenuator to selectively attenuate the x-ray beam over the regions of lower attenuation. In addition to modifications of conventional x-ray imaging, the role of Computerized Tomography and Magnetic Resonance Imaging have brought a new approach to chest imaging whose roles need to be studied. With the new developments in chest imaging we must not forget that the great bulk of chest imaging will continue to be done with conventional units. There are techniques that will improve conventioal chest radiographs. These include better quality assurance techniques and the role of better chest phantoms to evaluate chest radiographs. These will also be described and discussed at the Chest Imaging Conference.